The Reunion At Duckburg
by SosaLola
Summary: The reunion between friends is held at Scrooge McDuck's house. Max Goof doesn't wanna waste his Spring Break on a cantankerous miser and his mischievous nephews, but being an eleven year old kid, he doesn't have a say in this.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Reunion At Duckburg  
**Author:** Sosa Lola  
**Chapter:** One  
**Fandoms:** Goof Troop and Ducktales  
**Written For:** The Crossover Contest at **Disney-Club** and **Disney-Fusion.**  
**Summary:**The reunion between friends is held at Scrooge McDuck's house. Max Goof doesn't wanna waste his Spring Break on a cantankerous miser and his mischievous nephews, but being an eleven year old kid, he doesn't have a say in this.

* * *

**Chapter One: **

Max lowered the brim of his cap over his eyes, hoping that unseeing what was happening right in front of him would make it unreal somehow. His father's usual howl as he dropped from the top of the car to the ground destroyed that blissful fantasy. He groaned and watched his dad attempt to strap the luggage on top of the car with little to no success – without Max's help, it would take him forever to finish, which was the ultimate plan.

_Here's hope his lack of skill in loading will persuade him to cancel this stupid trip._Thinking about their destination again made Max very close to choking himself to death.

He sighed and turned to PJ standing on the other side of the fence. "So, run the list by me again."

"Uh, feed Waffles, water your dad's garden, hide the house keys somewhere my dad can't find."

Max raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"Oh, and tape the new episodes of _Hey Arnold_!"

"Don't forget." Max straightened his cap and tugged on his new yellow hooded sweatshirt. "God knows if they even heard of TV."

"I don't get it, dude. Isn't Mr. McDuck the richest man in the world?"

"And the biggest cheapskate, too. Dad told me he used to charge his own family two dollars to eat with him. Only if they _also_wash the dishes."

"Dude!"

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud honking from the car horn. To Max's dismay, his dad had managed to finish the task and right now he was sitting in the driver's seat, still blaring the car horn. "Hurry up, son! It's a long way to the airport."

Max gripped PJ's jacket and pulled him so close that their noses bumped against each other. "Peej, if you're really my best bud, you'll punch me hard enough to call an ambulance."

PJ chuckled at that – as if Max was actually joking. "You really don't wanna go, do ya?"

"I want you to punch me into a coma, man. Can't drop any more clues than that."

PJ gently tried to free himself from Max's grip, but those smaller hands clutched his jacket like a life raft of hope. "Is it because of the cheapskate?"

Max sighed, letting go of PJ and stuffing his hands in his sweatshirt's pockets. "Not really. It's Mr. D's nephews. We just don't get along." He glared down at his yellow ensemble – his dad thought it was appropriate to dress him up in a color that Huey, Dewey, and Louie didn't wear. "Last time Dad had a reunion with his friends at Mr. D's house, I had frogs stuffed in my bed, which didn't matter because something was added to my dinner to make me ooze from both ends all night. And for a goodbye I was thrown into the fish tank with _piranhas_in there."

"Ouch!"

"I'm really not looking forward to what they have in store for me this time."

Max winced when his dad beeped the car horn again. "Hurry up, Maxie. Uncle Scrooge won't send another cab if we miss our flight."

"Swell," he muttered and dragged his feet toward their new yellow car that perfectly matched his detested outfit. After their old car had burnt up last Christmas, his dad had worked on extra jobs to be able to buy a new one – especially when Mr. P didn't make it a secret how much it peeved him driving Dad to work every day. At least the new car was a lot cooler than that old red junker-jeep.

He buckled his seatbelt and sank in his chair, gazing resentfully at his dad waving goodbye to PJ. Max had been looking forward to Spring Break and now he had to spend it in a place worse than hell itself.

"Take care of the house, PJ. And my garden. And if there's ever a drought, make sure to save some water for them poor little flowers." Dad wiped a single tear. "Poor Daisy. You will always be remembered."

Max rolled his eyes. _A drought in spring?_

"Sure thing, Mr. G! Have fun." PJ threw an encouraging nod at Max. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Peej."

* * *

"Worst ride since our trip to Las Vegas. Even worse than that and I was kidnapped that time."

"Now, Maxie, it wasn't so bad."

Max dropped the suitcases he was carrying on the ground and glared up at his father. "Dad, the _cab_was a farm truck and we had to sit in the back with the sheep. I have sheep poo stuck in the back of my pants!" Wiping his dirty gloves on his smelly sweatshirt – at least, he'd have an excuse to take this off and wear his favorite red T-shirt.

"Mr. Farmer gave us a ride because Uncle Scrooge saved his life once." Dad raised an eyebrow at him. "Now what does that tell you?"

Max scoffed and started dragging the suitcases into the entrance. "That Uncle Scrooge is a tightwad…"

He stopped talking promptly, not because his father shot him a look of warning but because of the humongous mansion in front of them. "Wow. I guess he's not that much of a cheapskate after all."

"I haven't been here for years!" Dad chuckled in excitement and then trotted toward the front door like a little girl, the suitcases in his hands swinging back and forth. Max was really glad no one was around to see that.

Placing one of the suitcases down, Dad searched for a bell to ring. Not finding one, he knocked on the door instead. The household's butler opened the door and ushered them in.

"Ah-yuck! Hi-ya Duckworth." Dad grabbed the refined man's hand and shook the life force almost completely out of it.

Duckworth's lips twitched in displeasure as he wrenched his hand out of Dad's iron grip. "How do you do, Mr. Goof?"

"Never worse. Ah-yuck! Hope we're not the last to arrive?"

"Well, Mr. and Miss Mouse have been escorted to their room a few minutes ago. As well as Miss Duck."

Dad frowned. "What about _Mr. Duck_?"

"Unfortunately, he won't be able to make it."

Max mentally scoffed. Even the person who had invited them to this stupid reunion had managed not to attend. Lucky bastard.

Dad released a sad sound, letting go of the very heavy suitcase that ended up smashing Max's foot.

"Ouch!"

"Oh, Duckworth, my son Max."

Max held his throbbing foot up and hopped toward the butler – _way to make me look like a goof, Dad_- and shook hands with Duckworth. "Why does your name have Duck in it when you're not a duck?"

Duckworth regarded him with an expressionless face. "Why do you wear a hoodie in spring?"

Max wrapped his arms around his sweatshirt. "That's what kids wear these days."

He swore he saw a hint of a smirk in Duckworth's lips before the butler turned to an older woman – who was a duck. "This is Mrs. Bentina Beakley. The nanny."

Max snickered. _A nanny? Those babies need a nanny?_

Dad shook the nanny's hand and Max did the same, being the polite kid he was. A little duckling with a big, pink bow popped her head from behind Mrs. Beakley and grinned at him.

"Oh, this is my granddaughter," Mrs. Beakley said, pushing the girl out of her hiding place. "Webbigail Vanderquack."

The girl extended a hand and giggled timidly. "Call me Webby."

Max smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Max and this is my dad, Goofy."

"Hi-ya, Webby! Gawrsh, I've never felt the glamour in pink before."

Webby blinked.

Dad nudged him and winked. "What do ya say, Maxie?"

Max rolled his eyes. "I'd rather glamour in red, Dad. Thanks."

"Oh, here come the boys," Mrs. Beakley said, looking up the stairs.

Those brats would definitely make an entrance; either slide down the railings or down the staircase using a toboggan. Maybe holler something offensive as they did it. Or maybe, they'd creep up on him from behind and knock him down. Max twirled around, but no one was behind him.

Sighing in relief, he looked back at the stairs and to his surprise, the three troublemakers were actually _walking_down the stairs like three well-bred gentlemen. The nanny's influence, obviously.

Last time Max had seen them was four years ago; they'd been shorter, slimmer, and wore the same color. They also had the word "evil" drilled on their foreheads in a way that couldn't be concealed by their fake innocent expressions. These older versions looked, well, innocent. Really innocent. He couldn't read anything on their foreheads.

They politely shook hands with Max's dad. "Hi Mr. Goofy."

"Hello, boys. Shame your Uncle Donald can't be here for the reunion."

Their smiles melted into pouts. "He cancelled last minute," Louie mumbled. "Said he couldn't get a day off."

"Uh, Sir," Duckworth said, carrying Dad's suitcases. "Shall I take you to your room?"

"Oh, Duckworth, we'll take care of the luggage. C'mon, Maxie." Dad pried the luggage out of Duckworth's hands. The butler shrugged and then led the way upstairs, followed by Dad, Mrs. Beakley and Webby.

Max carried one of the suitcases with a grimace – these were already too heavy to drag into the house, how was he supposed to carry them up the stairs? As he reached for the other one, a green-sleeved hand possessed it first. He blinked up at Louie's smiling face. "Want some help?"

Max smiled back, relief washing over him. "Thanks. Um, so, uh, where's Uncle Scrooge?"

"_Uncle _Scrooge?" A mean expression spread across Huey's face. "He's not your uncle."

Max was taken aback by the matching smirks on Huey and Dewey's faces. Feeling his insides boiling with anger, he snatched the suitcase from Louie's hand and lugged both heavy suitcases up the stairs.

They had him fooled for a second, but once a menace, always a menace. He should have known the good-manners thing was just an act in front of his father and the other adults. He was _not_going to sit back and wait to be pranked. He'd eat them for lunch before they eat him for dinner.

* * *

Massive dining room: 2 P.M.: dish of the day was homemade stakes and french-fries. Max didn't doubt that this meal would kick the butt of all the meals he'd had his whole life. He smiled gratefully at Mrs. Beakley on his left, and she repaid his smile by adding more french-fries to his plate. Max looked around the faces in the room: Dad on his right had poured all the mushroom sauce on his stake 'causing Mickey, next to him, to glower at him. Next to Mickey was his girlfriend Minnie, who delicately placed her napkin on her lap.

On the opposite side of Minnie was Daisy, who insulted the food with her droopy face. On her right sat the nephews with Webby on the opposite side of Mrs. Beakley. Max would have preferred having Webby in front of him instead of Louie as she was the only kid in this house who seemed to like his presence.

Mr. McDuck's chair at the head of the table was empty. Max was amused by the dollar sign on the chair – in fact, almost everything in this house had a dollar sign painted or carved on it. This Scrooge McDuck dude was obsessed! Too obsessed that he couldn't spare a second to greet his guests since, of course, it had no profit in it.

Max scarfed down his food like a hungry, homeless puppy – better enjoy the small blessings of this less-than-stellar vacation. Mocking whispers reached his ears followed by derisive laughter; he looked up to see Huey and Dewey eying him with scornful pity. They probably didn't get the memo that he and his dad had moved out of the trailer over a year ago. He choked on the big piece of meat in his mouth and started coughing really hard, his dad patting his back gently.

A glass of water appeared in his field of vision. Max looked up and met Louie's worried gaze. Oh, no, he was not going to spend the night tossing his stake down the toilet. Accepting the glass from Louie, Max pretended to lose his grip on it and spilled the water on the table. "Oops, sorry," he said, throwing a meaningful stare at Louie's surprised face.

"So, having Pete as your neighbor, that must be a pain in the…"

"Mickey!" Minnie chided.

Mickey flustered and looked around the table where the children outnumbered the adults. "Oh, uh… ear. 'Cause, you know, he's loud."

"Not as loud as me. Ah-yuck." Dad dug his fork into the stake and stuffed it all in his mouth, demonstrating what he just said by chomping on it at full volume. Max looked at the others in embarrassment, everyone looked like they wanted to jam their forks into their ears.

Dad chuckled, spitting out some of his food while a trace of the mushroom sauce dripped from his mouth. "Why, me and Maxie, we always rock the house with the cleaning song, especially when clean the windows with towels using our booties."

Huey and Dewey snickered openly while Louie tried to stifle his giggles.

"Daaaad," Max drawled, wishing he could disappear into the chair.

"That sounds like fun. I wanna hear the cleaning song," Webby said.

"Ah-yuck, it's our jelly! C'mon, Maxie, how about we show them?"

"How about we _don't_! Sit down, Dad. We're eating lunch."

Daisy set down her fork; her stake untouched, and sighed. "It's a shame Donald isn't here."

_Whatever._Max would pay his blood and soul to not be here. As he stabbed his skate with the knife a little too aggressively, he noted the saddened expressions on the nephews' faces. For a second, he considered feeling sorry for them, but then Huey noticed him staring and threw a dirty glare at him. Max glared back, and then lowered his gaze to the envelope resting underneath his feet. He smirked at the 'Rattlesnake Eggs' he'd written on it in big letters. A harmless little prank, but if he could just get a little jump of fear out of it, he'd be satisfied.

"Duckworth, have you heard from Uncle Scrooge?" Minnie asked the butler as he walked into the room.

"Mr. MacDuck is terribly sorry he had to miss lunch. He is a very busy man."

Mickey placed his napkin on the table. "I hope he can make it to dinner. Minnie and I would like to invite you all to the new French restaurant here in Duckburg."

"Uncle Scrooge won't say no to free dinner." Minnie giggled.

"Am I invited, too?" Webby asked in a small, insecure voice. Max wondered if not being related to Mr. McDuck meant that Webby was often excluded from various family activities.

"Of course you are, dear," Mickey said. "In fact, everybody is invited."

As hollers of joy echoed around the room, Max noticed the nephews leaving. He fetched the envelope and hopped off his chair. Walking out of the dining room, he found them heading up the stairs.

"Yohoo, boys, look what I've got," Max called, waving the letter.

Huey glared down at him before looking back at his brothers. "Ignore him."

Max watched them continue their way up the stairs and pursed his lips in annoyance. He should have known they'd give him the cold shoulder. There had to be a way to get their attention. Running up the stairs after them, he yelled, "Wait! I got something for you."

Dewey turned around and crossed his arms over his chest. "What is it?"

"Um, a letter from your uncle Donald."

Huey and Louie froze on top of the stairs while Dewey snatched the letter from Max and tore it open without even glancing at what was written on the envelope. The band and cardboard inside started to unwind and rattle against the paper creating the expected awesome fearful rattle of snakes hatching.

Dewey's eyes widened in alarm, and Max got his little jump of fear. But whatever laugh he wanted to let out died in his throat as Dewey's foot slipped and he ended up falling down the stairs.

Max watched in horror as Dewey banged every step on the way down until he landed on his front, motionless. Huey and Louie ran down past Max toward their brother and sat by his side, shaking him frantically.

Max took numb steps down the stairs, feeling a thick lump in his throat. Huey turned Dewey gently to lie on his back, the injured boy's face congested in pain. "My ankle," he whimpered.

Daisy came out of the dining room and screamed when her gaze landed on Dewey. She rushed to his side at once, taking Huey's place as he got up to his feet and shot Max a furious stare. "What the heck did you do?"

"I didn't… I…"

"Are you out of your mind? You're as much of a goof-up as your stupid dad!"

Insulting his dad was so uncalled for, it set Max's teeth on edge. "Hey, I remember being the victim of your incredibly dangerous practical jokes."

"Oh my God, that was four years ago. We were just seven." Huey threw out his arms in frustration. "We're too old for this now."

Mickey and Minnie appeared in an instant, followed by his dad, Duckworth, Mrs. Beakley and Webby. "What happened?" Mickey demanded.

Mrs. Beakley gasped. "Oh God, Dewey, are you all right?"

"I'm okay," Dewey gritted out. "But I sprained my ankle."

"How did this happen?" Minnie asked.

Huey pointed at Max with a shaking finger. "He did it."

Dad looked at him in complete shock. "Maxie?"

Swallowing thickly, Max looked at Mickey examining Dewey's leg. He could take anything but that look in his father's face.

"Do you feel pain somewhere else?" Mickey asked.

"No, just my ankle."

"Then it's safe to take you to your room." Mickey took charge of the situation, scooping Dewey up in his arms. "Duckworth, call the family doctor. Mrs. Beakley, get the first aid kit."

Duckworth headed toward the phone on the table while Mrs. Beakley disappeared down the hall. Everybody else followed Mickey up the stairs, except Max and his father.

Max swallowed again and gazed down at his untied sneakers.

"What you just did was… disrespectable and desdicable."

"You mean "despicable"?"

"Don't correct me!" Dad snapped. Max flinched. "Son, we're hosts in this house. And you failed to respect your guests."

He opened his mouth, but one look at his dad's resolved face, and he snapped his lips shut.

Dad sighed. "Because of that, we're not joining the others at the restaurant. You and I will stay here and make ourselves a sandwich."

Max blinked up at his father. "Dad…"

"Yes, you heard me, for the very first time in your life, you're grounded."

* * *

Aside from the sprained ankle, Dewey had a few minor bruises that Mickey was able to take care of before the doctor's arrival. Even though the doctor had recommended a few days of rest, Dewey insisted on having tonight's dinner at the restaurant as planned. He refused Mickey's offer to cancel the reservations. So, everybody was going to the restaurant tonight, except Max and his dad.

Max peered out from the safety of his room to the hallway leading to the nephews' bedroom. He could hear the adults' laughter drifting from the last, closed door down the hall; their laughter lifted some of the heavy load on his chest. Just a little. When he caught the doorknob turning, he shut the door quickly and jumped on his bed, pretending to read one of his father's "How to" books. When his dad didn't come into their room as he expected, he tossed the book aside and walked out to the hallway.

No one was at sight, so Max tip toed his way toward the nephews' room. Hearing Mrs. Beakley scolding the kids down the stairs, Max quickened his pace until he was literally inside his goal.

His sigh of relief was cut midway as his eyes locked with Dewey's, who was sitting on the bottom mattress of the bunk bed. On reflex, Max lowered his gaze down in shame. He took a couple of steps ahead and with a small push of courage, he smiled up at Dewey. "Hey."

Dewey ignored him by turning his attention back to the comic book in his hands. The ice bag on his ankle made Max's heart sag down to his knees. "I have a bunk bed, too," he blurted out.

Dewey arched an eyebrow.

Feeling his cheeks burning in embarrassment, Max was in a full-blown blather mode, "Uh, it's not as nice as this one. But at least I got both beds for myself." _Shut up, just shut up now!_ "Though I gotta admit it's more fun having PJ using that other bed." _I said SHUT UP!_

Dewey chuckled in amusement, making Max relax a little. "I'm really sorry, Dewey," he said sincerely.

Dewey lost his smile, but at least he didn't look like he wanted to set him on fire.

"I was a jerk," Max went on. "I shouldn't… "

"What's he doing here?"

Max spun around and flinched at the fierce glare on Huey's face. Louie and Webby looked at him sadly, but said nothing.

"I was just…"

"Get out," Huey said dryly.

Head bowed and shoulders sagged, Max dragged his feet out of the room, feeling their heated stares boring into him. Out of the room, he winced when the door was slammed shut behind him.

* * *

Max looked at the panels packed with action in the latest Batman issue, but didn't have the heart to read a word. He put the comic book on the nightstand, flopped back onto the bed and puffed up the pillow under his head. His leg swinging ideally, he stared at his father's back as he busied himself making half a dozen of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Dad put three sandwiches on a plate and handed it to him. "Here you go, Maxie."

Max sat up and reached for the plate. "Thanks, Dad." He placed it on his lap, throwing unsure glances at his father. "Are you… are you still mad at me?"

A warm smile crossed Dad's lips. "No, son. As long as you feel rumors about what you did."

"I do. I'm totally rumors – eh, remorseful."

Someone knocked on their door, and then Mickey barged in clad in a fancy suit. "C'mon, Goofy, we're…" he trailed off, looking at them in their pajamas and the plates of sandwiches. "Aren't you guys ready?"

Dad shook his head. "We're not going, Mick."

"No, Dad, you go." Max put aside his plate and walked over his father's bed, taking his hands and pulling him up to his feet. "You came all the way here to hang out with your friends. You shouldn't be stuck home with me."

"But I can't leave you by yourself. Even Duckworth won't be here."

Max felt Mickey's hand on his shoulder. "Goofy, you two come with us." The hand squeezed gently, and Max looked up at the tender smile Mickey directed at him. "We're on vacation after all."

Max shook his head, politely taking Mickey's hand off his shoulder. "No, I don't deserve to go after what I did." He looked up at his father. "But, Dad, you go. You shouldn't be punished for my mistakes."

"But I made all these sandwiches."

"I'll eat them all. The more the merrier."

Dad gave him a look.

"Uh, I'm a growing boy?" Max went for the puppy dog eyes.

Dad, of course, couldn't resist. "Well, if I'm going, I'm gonna bring you one of them duck-shaped tin-foil thingies."

"You don't have to. You'll find me all tucked in and sound asleep."

Dad's face clouded with worry. "Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"

"Dad, I'm a sixth grader. I can be home alone."

* * *

_Home Alone_?! Way to jinx it, Smart Pants. All alone in a burglar-magnet mansion – and yes, he did face down a couple of creepy burglars on his own before but he'd only survived because of the traps his dad had set up. Mr. McDuck had most likely set up some traps – a greedy miser like him would never give a thief a chance to steal anything from him. But did this thought calm him down?

Hiccup. Hiccup. No, siree, it did not.

He was tucked in all right, but sound asleep he was not. Pulling up the covers over himself, Max couldn't stop the hiccups of fear no matter how much water he drank. Why in hell did he convince his father to go out with every single person in the house?

He needed a distraction. He could spend the next three to four hours talking to PJ on the phone until everybody came back from the restaurant. There was no phone in this room, but he did spot one in the lobby, the one Duckworth used to call the doctor. A grin finally found its way to his quivering lips. Tossing the covers away and putting on his sneakers, Max scampered for the door.

He stopped halfway when he realized he was still wearing the ugly yellow pajamas his dad had bought him. If his hiccups wouldn't attract the burglars' attention, these bright yellow PJs would.

Quickly dressing up in his favorite ensemble, Max made his way through the halls and down the stairs. Creepy, dark shadows surrounded the place, making him even more scared than he was in his room. Better find a light switch, but first he had to call PJ. He had to hear someone's voice – unless it was a burglar's voice – just so he could calm down.

The only problem in the phone-call plan was the phone bill that would probably get his dad in trouble. But as his hiccups increased in frequency, Max knew this was the only way to keep himself sane until his father returned.

Grabbing the phone, he started to dial PJ's home number.

"Who's this?"

Max screamed and threw the phone away, running around the lobby in a desperate attempt to find a place to hide. He rushed toward the table on the right side of the front door and jumped under it, his knee banging the foot of the table 'causing the duck statue on top to slip. He covered his ears and bit on his lip, waiting for the piercing crash.

It never came. For a second he thought that his hands did block the sound, until he heard an angry grunt. "Look what ye almost did, ya bampot! Ye almost broke a pricy piece of rubbish." The hiccups came back at a full force, and Max smacked his hands over his mouth. "Don't tell me Webby brought over a stray pig."

Something about that accent and those rolled Rs made him a little suspicious about this mysterious man. Then suddenly, he was pulled out of his hiding place by a rough hand grabbing him by the collar. He was lifted up to the same height of an old, angry duck, who narrowed his eyes at him through his pince-nez glasses.

"Now who do we have here?"

Max looked over the duck that held him off the floor: the top hat, the blue frock coat, and the scariest scowl he'd ever seen. "Are you Mr. McDuck?"

"The one and only, and ye are…" Mr. McDuck looked at him closely before his eyes went wide and his hand let go of him. Max ended up falling on his butt.

"Uh, don't tell me. You're Goofy's son? Such resemblance. Ye look exactly like yer father when he was yer age."

Max grimaced and rubbed on his throbbing butt. "I get that a lot."

The old duck lost his scowl and a happy expression filled his face. So, being the polite kid he was, Max rose up to his feet and extended a hand. "I'm Max."

Mr. Scrooge shook his hand with a smile. "So, Max, why aren't ye at the restaurant with the others?"

Max scratched the back of his neck, his face flushing. "Well, Mr. McDuck…"

"Oh, laddie, call me Uncle Scrooge like everybody else."

"I don't think so," he muttered and watched Mr. Scrooge walk over to the phone and put it back in its place. "Uh, Mr. McDuck, why aren't _you_at the restaurant?"

The scowl returned to the old man's face as he bent down to take a cane that was lying on the floor. "Because if I lay my guard down I'm going to lose the most important treasure I have."

"Oooh, treasure." Max whistled in excitement before a scary thought crossed his mind. "Uh, does losing your treasure involve burglars?"

"The Beagle Boys sent me a letter threatening to rob the Money Bin tomorrow and I know they're not after me money."

"Why do you think that?"

""Cause I know they're working for Magica De Spell."

"The who De what?"

Mr. Scrooge didn't answer him. He straightened his top hat and walked toward the front door with his cane.

Max's heartbeat sped up. "Um, where are you going?"

"The Money Bin." Mr. Scrooge looked at him over his shoulder. "Do you want to come with me?"

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Max looked down at the floor. "Oh, I can't. I'm sorta grounded."

"Grounded? On a vacation?"

"Well, I did this prank on Dewey and strained his ankle."

"Oh, if I had a nickel for every practical joke those nephews of mine have pulled since they came here…" He paused, considered what he said, and then shook his head. "Uh, cross that thought."

Max chuckled.

Mr. Scrooge gave him a flicker of a smile. "So, what do you say?"

Max dragged a hand through his hair. "I don't know."

"Suit yourself." Mr. Scrooge was about to leave, but he stopped and turned around, throwing him an evil smirk. "You know, the Beagle Boys may think they could find what they're looking for in me empty house."

Max hiccupped and then covered his mouth with his hands. "It-it's n-not em-empty if I'm h-here."

"How threatening is a little boy to three or more grown men?"

"So, for my safety, I have to go with you." He was already out of the door when he said that, hearing Mr. Scrooge chuckling behind him.

Spanking Max's butt with his cane, Mr. Scrooge walked past him with quick steps. "Pick up your pace, me lad. We don't have all night."

Max arched an eyebrow at him. "If you wanna get there faster, you better call for a taxi."

"Nonsense. Besides it's only a brisk four miles walk."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

The Money Bin was a skyscraper with a huge dollar sign painted on front – _go figures._The biggest building in Duckburg – the biggest building Max had ever seen, and he used to live in the city before he and his dad had moved to the suburbs. This was where Mr. McDuck stored the portions of his money. Max would love to see those portions, but he doubted Mr. Scrooge would show anyone, let alone a kid, the sight of his money.

_I was wrong._

Walking into a giant bank vault, Max gripped the gold railing and gaped down at the enormous pool of gold coins. He rubbed on his eyes and blinked down – yes, still there – the biggest chunk of gold coins he's ever seen. He wondered how long it took Mr. McDuck to collect all that money. Last time Max had sailed on Mr. P's boat to find the legendary treasure of the pirate Nearbeard, he ended up with nothing but pistoozas.

"All the money you need to swim in it," he said in complete awe.

"Allow me." Mr. Scrooge hung his cane on the railing and climbed on it himself.

"What?" Max exclaimed in horror and tried to catch the crazy duck before he jumped onto the money pile. Too late. Max covered his eyes and waited for the clunk-splat, but to his shock, he heard a splash instead.

He opened his eyes and looked down, excepting to see Mr. Scrooge with a snapped neck or a pulped head, but there was no sign of him. "Mr. McDuck?" he called out frantically. "Mr. McDuck!"

Abruptly, the duck-in-question appeared in a black and red striped swim gear diving into the gold coins like water, totally defying the law of heavy metals. With the density of all these coins, how could he sink into them and jump out of them like that? He was even spitting coins out like a fountain! Must be his mutant powers.

Max seemed to have lost the ability to close his mouth, watching Mr. Scrooge diving underneath the metal coins and coming up in his regular clothes again. He climbed up the golden ladder and popped out a coin from his ear. Before exiting the vault, he pushed Max's jaw up, closing his mouth for him.

Max shook his head to clear the shock and then grinned in excitement. "Way cool!" He started climbing on the railing. "Now it's my turn."

The handle of the cane dragged him backward by the collar. "Don't forget, we are here on business."

Falling on his butt for the second time tonight, Max let out a hiss of pain and glared up at Mr. McDuck. "Yeah, what is that important thing those Burglar Boys want to steal?" He got on his feet and threw out his arms. "'Cause I'm thinking pool of gold coins, that's what I wanna steal."

Mr. McDuck narrowed his eyes at him.

"Which I won't. Nu-uh."

"The Beagle Boys," Mr. McDuck corrected and then walked into his White House office: giant window with thick green curtains behind a large, fancy chair and a desk with a golden dollar sign on front. "And yer right. They are as simple minded as ye are."

Max crossed his arms and scowled, stepping aside to allow the man to close the vault door. He heaved a sigh and began wandering around the office, lifting his gaze from the fancy green carpet to the shelves filled with books. Could he ever be as successful and rich in the future? Living in a big mansion, having his own butler and maid, buying whatever he wanted. Most of the kids he knew – PJ, Pistol, the nephews – had a better financial life than him. Even Webby the maid's granddaughter got to live in a big mansion and eat all the delicious meals and buy all the pretty toys.

_It isn't fair._He fought down the urge to kick Mr. McDuck's desk, knowing the dire consequences of that action.

"How long did it take you to get this rich?" he asked absentmindedly, biting on his lip when he realized the words slipped out of his mouth.

Mr. McDuck smiled at him. "My whole life. Why? Planning on following me footsteps?"

Max shrugged. "Well, yeah. Seems like a lot of work though."

"It is a lot of work, me lad. Gaining a lot but losing more in the process." The man's gaze looked past him at nothing in particular, an odd look upon his face. He seemed like he was lost in old and painful memories.

Max rubbed his sneakers against each other, feeling a tad awkward. "Um, so the Beagle Boys?"

Mr. Scrooge blinked, snapping out of the memory lane. "Right. But as I said, they're working for Magica De Spell."

"Yeah, and who's that?"

"She's a sorceress who's after me most prized possession."

"Oooh, sounds expensive." Max followed Mr. McDuck as he walked around his desk, used a key to open the last drawer and brought out a weird shaped pencil case. Unzipping it – Max could see a lot of silver dimes inside – Mr. Scrooge dug a finger into them, brought out a dime and showed it to him.

Max stared at the ordinary old thing, looked up at the smiling man, and then looked back at the dime. "You got to be kidding me. _This_is your most prized possession?"

"My Number One Dime, first I ever made. According to Magica, it contains psychic vibrations of every deal, every dollar and every decision I'd ever made."

Suddenly, the old thing looked all shiny and cool. "Wow, you mean it has magical powers?"

Mr. Scrooge chuckled. "Magica believes so, but I personally just think it's lucky." He winked and put back the pencil case in the drawer. "We have to keep it somewhere safe. Somewhere Magica would never suspect."

A sudden crash erupted from outside, causing Max to jump into Mr. McDuck's arms. "Wh-what is that?"

"Launchpad," Mr. McDuck said in exasperation. He tossed Max to the floor and started striding out of the office.

"Wait," Max called after him. "What if it was a trap?"

Mr. Scrooge froze in place. "Curse me kilts, yer right." He walked back toward Max and placed the dime onto his gloved palm and closed the boy's fingers around it. "Guard the dime until I come back with that dunderhead."

Max saluted him as the old man made his way out of the office. "All right, Mr. McDuck."

Cringing, Mr. Scrooge looked at him over his shoulder. "I really prefer Uncle Scrooge."

Max gave a sheepish shrug. "Sorry, but you're not my uncle."

The man looked like he was just slapped in the face. "Oh, I see."

"No, I didn't mean…" Max trailed off when Mr. McDuck walked out and closed the door behind him. He smacked his face. "Gosh, I _am_a goof-up."

Large arms wrapped around him unexpectedly and pulled him back against a solid chest. His screams were muffled by a cloth that was put over his face. He struggled desperately against the arms that held him tight, until his movements became weaker and he felt lightheaded. The last thing he remembered before he passed out was dropping Mr. McDuck's dime on the floor.

* * *

A groan escaped Max's mouth as he woke up to an intense headache that attacked the right side of his head. Hands tied behind his back, ankles tied as well, his mouth was gagged with a duct tape, and he had to breathe through his nose. Lying on a rough ground, he shifted his weight slightly and felt a wall behind him. Man, his body hurt all over: his wrists itched from the bindings, his legs stiff and he felt horribly dehydrated.

It felt like he'd been lying on the ground like this for hours. At least, it was better than being hung upside down from the ceiling like last time. Maybe he should work on _not_getting kidnapped again.

An eerie cackling laugh startled him, it was very loud and clear, obviously this person was in the same room as him. He managed to open his eyes despite the nausea, and through the fog, he made out four unfamiliar men in red shirts and green caps standing with their backs to him. They were standing around some pentagram in the middle of a large room surrounded by ancient pillars.

The pentagram was drawn on a blue painted circle, and from the middle of that circle fire erupted frequently, causing Max to tremble and hiccup. Fortunately, his hiccups were muffled by the duct tape and went unheard. It didn't take a genius to realize that those men in front of him were the Beagle Boys.

The creepy, feminine laughter that had startled him earlier came back at full force. That was clearly the witch, blocked from his view by the Beagle Boys.

A raven wearing a hat caught his attention as it flew all over the place, going from pillar to pillar in a circular pattern. Feeling dizzy from following the black bird, Max rested his head back on the ground in exhaustion and closed his eyes. His muscles were cramped and aching, and his body was struck by tremors, desperate to move and flex.

"Missing one ingredient," a female's voice grunted in a polish accent. Max opened his eyes again and, at last, he saw _her_. Silky black hair, purple eye shadow, a black dress, and in her hand – his heartbeat raged against his ribs – Mr. McDuck's Number One Dime!

She glowered at the Beagle Boys. "Where are the frog legs?"

A short Beagle Boy nudged the other short Beagle Boy wearing a propeller beanie. "Babyface?"

Babyface shrugged. "I hoped she wouldn't notice." He received a smack on the head.

Magica didn't look pleased at all. "You better go back and get me those frogs or I'll turn _you_four into frogs and use your legs instead."

"We're on it," the shortest Beagle Boy said and pushed his brothers toward the exit.

"But, Big Time, we're in Mount Vesuvius. There ain't no frogs here," said the tallest one.

Big Time groaned. "We'll take the plane, you knucklehead!"

"Can we stop for a pizza?" asked the stupid-looking one.

"Geez, Burger, is it possible to hear you say a sentence that doesn't involve food?"

"I was named after food, so no."

When their silly argument faded away as they left the room, Magica screamed in frustration. The raven rested on her shoulder and squawked louder than her scream.

"Oh, Poe," she said, receiving a gentle peck on her cheek. "I was this close to ruling the world. _This_close to turning you back into a man, my brother."

The raven, or Poe, squawked some more, seeming to share her frustration.

She slipped the dime into her pocket and walked out of the room with her brother croaking on her shoulder. Max wasn't sure if he was more disturbed or relieved by the lack of acknowledgement to his existence. There must be a reason to why they brought him along as a hostage when they could have simply left him unconscious in Mr. McDuck's office. Though thinking about facing Mr. Scrooge after he'd promised to keep the dime safe, maybe being kidnapped wasn't such a bad idea.

He had to find a way to get the dime back and escape, but first, he needed to get out of these ropes. If he could fix this somehow, no one would be upset with him, and he wouldn't disappoint his father any more than he already did. And to think, his dad's antics always embarrassed him when they were nowhere near _his_screw-ups.

He grunted in annoyance when his various attempts to free himself had gone useless. He needed something sharp, maybe he could find something useful on that table filled with jars and bottles. He had to roll his way toward it, but before he made a move, he heard a whisper nearby.

"Psst. Max, don't scream, okay?"

That voice belonged to one of the nephews. A hand appeared in his field of vision and ripped the duct tape off of his mouth. Max bit on his lips to prevent himself from screaming in pain. Louie moved around him and started untying his ankles.

"How did you find me?" Max whispered, feeling his headache lessening when the tight ropes loosened around his ankles. They brushed against his raw skin as they fell to the ground.

"Long story. We're here to save you and get back Uncle Scrooge's Number One Dime."

With Louie's help, Max was able to sit down so that Louie could work on the ropes binding his hands behind his back. "We?"

"Uncle Scrooge, Huey, your dad, Laun…"

"My _dad_?" Max exclaimed, provoking Louie to smack a hand on his lips to keep him quiet. When no one appeared in the room, Louie removed his hand and went back to untying his hands.

"He knows?" Max asked in a low voice.

"Of course he knows."

Hands finally free, Max started rubbing his sore wrists and stretching his stiff limbs. "How did he take the news?"

"Well, there was a lot of slipping and sliding and he ended up with his head stuck in the trashcan."

Max groaned in embarrassment.

"It was kinda sweet." Louie shrugged. "Shows that he cares."

"I know. I just wish he doesn't go all goofy about it."

Louie helped him rise to his feet, but his numb legs couldn't hold him up. Louie caught him before he fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?"

Max draped his arm around Louie's shoulder to steady himself. "My legs feel numb."

"Shake them a little."

Max did as he was told, getting the blood flowing again.

"Better?"

He looked at Louie's concerned eyes, feeling somewhat confused and embarrassed with himself. This kid had been nice to him since his arrival to the mansion, yet Max had treated him like an enemy. He just realized that Louie had meant well when he'd offered to carry his suitcase and later handed him the water.

Slowly and gently, Louie let go of him, and Max was able to stand on his own. As he opened his mouth to thank the other boy and apologize to him, Louie, suddenly, exploded into a cloud of dust, 'causing Max to cough uncontrollably. When the dust cleared off, Max almost passed out, seeing a frog wearing a green cap and croaking on the ground.

The creepy laughter behind him made him twirl around and hiccup again. On a short distance, Magica stood holding an opened bottle in her hand.

"Those Beagle bunglers are taking forever to return. So, I'll use you boys instead."

The frog jumped into Max's arms as Magica poured some magical dust onto her palm and threw it at Max. He was able to run around it, clutching Louie safely against his chest, and scurrying around the place away from the lunatic. He stumbled against the lab table and fell on the ground, almost squishing poor Louie to death. The bottles on the table jerked slightly, and a yellow one with a cork slipped off the table. Max was able to catch it before it broke on his head.

"There you are," Magica said behind him, so he quickly rolled onto his back on the floor and threw the bottle point blank right in her face. She puffed into a tiny, tiny mouse.

"Awesome," Max whispered in fascination.

Poe flew over her while she complained in her squeaky new voice, "Turn me back, you fool!"

Max seized the moment and scrambled to his feet, fleeing out of the room. Looking back over his shoulder as he ran out of the lair into a cave hallway, he saw Poe dousing some dust at Magica and changing her into a rabbit.

Smack!

"Ouch!" Falling down, Max grunted, still holding Louie in his arms. He looked up to find Huey rubbing on his back due to the fall.

Huey grinned when he saw him. "Hey, you okay?"

Max nodded and got up to his feet. "Yes."

"We had a problem with the plane, so Louie insisted on jumping out with a parachute despite your dad's protests. We had to convince him that with Louie being small, they wouldn't…" He stopped talking at once when they heard the neighing of a horse. Huey looked around in apprehension. "Did you see Louie?"

"Um…" Max showed him the frog in his hands.

Huey's shocked expression dissolved into a disgusted glare. "You're a good use for nothing, aren't you?" he snapped at Max, snatching his cursed brother into his arms. "First you sprained Dewey's ankle, then you let the Beagle Boys steal Uncle Scrooge's first dime, and now you let that witch turn Louie into a frog?"

Feeling completely offended, Max retorted, "I didn't let…"

"You're nothing but a useless goofball!"

"And you're a cranky featherbrain!"

A roar of a tiger startled both boys into silence. Max grabbed Huey's arm and whispered to his ear, "Look, how about we put off the yelling match and get the hell out of here?"

Huey nodded and gestured for Max to follow him.

* * *

Max panted in exhaustion, climbing after Huey, his wrists and ankles were still sore from being tied up for hours. He'd suggested going down the hallway and out of the mountain, but Huey said the road was filled with dangerous traps. It had taken him a miracle to get away from them in one piece, besides; they needed to undo the curse on Louie before leaving. Apparently, Huey knew his way around this place as he'd been kidnapped by Magica before, so Max decided to put his trust on him.

They took their time climbing up to the rock cliff on top of Magica's lair. Peering down at Poe and the bleating sheep that was his sister, the boys were glad the two loons were oblivious to their whereabouts.

Max sat back against the hard rocks and rested his eyes a bit. "So, what's the plan?" he whispered in a very low voice and hoped that Huey heard him.

"We catch our breath and then think of one," the answer came in a matching low whisper.

Max opened his eyes and looked at Huey sitting next to him with his brother on his lap. "Louie said something about my dad and Mr. McDuck. Where are they?"

"When we finally crashed onto the ground, we came across the Beagle Boys. The others got busy taking care of them while I snuck into the mountain." Louie croaked softly in his hands, so Huey began patting him gently on the head. "Poor Louie."

Something painful balled in Max's chest. He sat up and crossed his legs, staring miserably at his empty lap. "I'm sorry, Huey," he said softly. "I know I've ruined everything. I had the impression that you guys hated me and I wanted to get you before you could get me. I acted like a jerk. I'm sorry."

Huey shook his head. "It's not entirely your fault. We did pretty awful stuff to you before."

"Yeah, but that was when we were kids."

"And we were…" Huey paused, scratching his head awkwardly. "_I_was mean to you today. I'm… to be honest, we've all been jealous of you. Especially me."

Max looked at him in complete shock. "Jealous of me?!" _Of the trailer trash? Of the only child? Of the motherless boy?_He'd heard them all before and each one had cut deep into him when he was younger.

Huey gave a sad smile that seemed to hold a great deal of suppressed pain. "We've always been a handful to our parents. Uncle Donald had babysat us throughout our childhood 'cause Mom needed a breather. Then one day, we put firecrackers under Dad's chair and he ended up in the hospital."

_Ouch!_Max had never heard this story. He couldn't imagine the kind of guilt this would inflict on little kids.

Huey let out a despairing sigh, still stroking his brother. "So, obviously, Mom dropped us off at Uncle Donald's. It was supposed to be a temporary stay, but then Mom and Dad never came back. And from then on, we lived our lives being dumped on one relative after another."

He smiled genuinely at Max. "But you, you always had your dad. He never left you with some relative. He always took care of you." His smile turned sheepish as he shrugged. "I've always been jealous of how close you two are."

"I thought… you and your uncle Donald were pretty close."

"Yeah, but where's he now? He couldn't even be here for the reunion _he_set up for his friends," Huey spat out in resentment. Before Max could say anything, Huey went on, "I know. I know he couldn't take a day off, but he should have planned this through."

Max knew he couldn't say anything to make the other boy feel better. He couldn't imagine how painful and scary it was to be a burden on anyone who wasn't his father – except Mr. Pete and he made sure Max knew how much he hated those sleepovers with PJ, unless it was the other way around. Last time Max had to sleepover at PJ's – 'cause Miss Pennypacker stupidly thought Dad couldn't take care of him by himself – Mr. P had fell down the stairs twice and almost killed his own dog.

That night hadn't been a picnic for Max either. He'd been attacked by nightmares and didn't feel safe until he was buried in his father's arms.

Funny how he'd been jealous of the nephews all this time. Back then when they'd still lived with their parents in a big house surrounded by all the cool toys. Even now that they were living in a bigger house with a bigger room and much cooler toys, except at this moment, he'd just realized how lucky he was. He would never trade his father for any of that.

"So," Huey said after a long moment of silence, "Any idea how to break the spell?"

Max looked down at Louie. "Maybe we should get a princess to kiss him."

Huey smirked. "Well, you're the damsel here."

"Hey now!" Max slapped him, pursing his lips in annoyance when Huey snickered. "Besides, he's your brother, you kiss him."

The sudden sound of footsteps rushing into the lair below them startled both of them, but what startled Max the most was the familiar voice crying out in desperation, "Max, Max! Where are you?"

Something closed up inside his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. He crawled to the rock cliff and peered down in dread, heart skipping a beat when he caught the sight of his dad standing a few steps away from Magica. She was now in her real form, but there was no sign of her raven Poe.

"Magica, where are the boys?"

Max just noticed Mr. McDuck and Webby standing behind his father, but his attention was mostly on his dad, who was frantically searching for him. Max bit on his lower lip, keeping his mouth shut so that he wouldn't blow their cover. But then, Magica grabbed the same bottle she'd used on Louie and rushed to dump some of the dust on his father.

Eyes widening in horror – "Dad, look out!"

His stupid impulsive yelling distracted his father – "Maxie?" – and before his horrified gaze, his father was turned into a frog.

With a sudden jolt of shock, Max slipped down the rock cliff and was falling in the direction of the pentagram. He braced himself for the pain when someone jumped over the fire and captured him before he burned to death. Clutching his rescuer with trembling hands, Max buried his face in the man's shoulder, unable to even muster a sigh of relief. His dad was turned into a frog! His dad was turned into a freaking _frog_! This time he really wished unseeing things would make them untrue.

He felt himself being lowered to the floor until he was on his feet. He looked up at Mr. McDuck's worried eyes. "Are ye all right, lad?"

On reflex, Max looked down in shame – being the cause of all this mess – and jerked himself away from the man's hold. The sudden load on his foot made him bite on his trembling lower lip. He knelt on the floor and took his dad into his arms, his eyes stinting with tears.

"Three frogs should be enough," Magica said with a spine-chilling laugh, making her way toward him with the same damn bottle. "The boy and the girl will be perfect. As for you, Scroogie, I'll let you watch as I rip their tiny legs off and throw them into the fire."

Mr. McDuck stepped in front of him in an instant. "Magica, I'm begging ya, I'll get ye the frogs ye want and ye can have me lucky dime, but please, don't harm the children."

She pushed him aside like a rag doll and continued her way toward Max. He was captured by the intense cruelty in her eyes, hypnotized and frozen in place, unable to move and save himself.

"Oh, no, ye won't!" From his place on the floor, Mr. McDuck threw his cane at her.

She dodged the flying cane effortlessly and carried on her way. Max held his father tightly and squeezed his eyes shut, his body shaking so badly his teeth started to rattle.

Huey's loud shriek rang from above and stopped with a thud sound followed by Magica's pained scream. The sound of glass hitting the floor had Max blinking his eyes open. With amusement, he watched Huey riding on Magica's back and yanking at her hair as if it were a horse's mane, hollering like a cowboy. The fearsome witch hopped around like a bunny whose tail caught fire.

Webby took advantage of the situation and hurried toward the bottle of frog-doom on the floor. She grabbed it and threw it into the fire.

"Good job, Webigail!" Mr. Scrooge carried her and spun her around. She giggled happily and hugged him when he put her down. Max was taken aback by this. The mere thought of Scrooge McDuck showing affection for someone who was _related_to him boggled him, let alone be it his maid's granddaughter. Then again, Mr. McDuck had shown him nothing but kindness since they'd met, he didn't even scold him over losing his Number One Dime.

"Why you little…"

Max returned his attention to the other two in the room. Huey had jumped off of Magica and was now holding her amulet in his hand with a smile of victory.

"Give it back!" she barked. "You have no idea how hard it was to create another amulet after the first was destroyed." She narrowed her eyes at him before they snapped wide with anger. "It was _you_. The little mischievous rat who got in the way."

"I'm no rat, but you'll probably be if you make a single move." Huey nodded his head toward Webby who was standing by the lab table now, wiggling a blue bottle in her hand with a mischievous smile of her own.

"You better turn my brother and Mr. Goofy back to their real selves or…" he let the sentence hang and walked toward the pentagram, holding the amulet over the fire. "You know as well as I do that the dime is no use without this."

_The dime!_Like a snap, Max remembered when Magica had put it in her pocket earlier. He handed his father to Mr. McDuck and began crawling toward the witch, trying as hard as possible not to make a sound. If he could just pickpocket the dime, everything would be okay. He held Huey's gaze with his own, and the other boy got the message and went on taunting Magica to distract her.

As Max carefully reached for Magica's pocket, a rough hand came out of nowhere and grabbed him by the shirt. He was pulled off the floor, hanging in the air, and looking right at the ugly face of one of the Beagle Boys.

"Hey, let go!" Big Time carried a struggling Webby away from the table.

"The Beagle Boys?" Mr. McDuck exclaimed. "We left you tied up down the mountain? How did you get away?"

Max heard the fluttering of a bird's wings and saw Poe flying over Mr. Scrooge's head. "Never underestimate the power of a raven, evermore!"

"What about Mickey and Launchpad?"

"Turned them into ants," Poe crocked.

Distracted by the raven, Mr. McDuck let out a gasp when Burger had him in a death grip.

With the power shifting in Magica's favor, she made her way toward Mr. McDuck and pulled him close by the collar. "Listen, Scrooge, if you don't order your stupid nephew to give me back my amulet, I'll order Bouncer to throw that boy into the fire."

Max hiccupped as he was carried toward the pentagram.

Huey swallowed, almost losing his grip on the amulet. "She… she won't do it, Uncle Scrooge. It'll ruin her spell."

"Actually, it'll enrich it. A child's fresh blood and skin over frog legs. Think of how powerful I'll be."

"Huey lad, give her back the amulet," Mr. McDuck said without hesitation.

Feeling the intense heat from the fire, Max wished he could just burn to ashes. Once again, he ruined everything for everybody. His guilt and self-loathing intensified when he saw Huey reluctantly handing the amulet to the crazy old witch.

Bouncer flung him back like he wasn't heavier than a feather. He fell right next to Burger's feet.

"Max me lad, are ye all right?"

He didn't answer, too ashamed to even speak.

"Hey, Magica, look what I got." Babyface walked over to the witch with two frogs in his arms.

Max felt his heart dropping to his stomach - _Dad and Louie! _

"I need three frogs for the spell."

"I already threw the bottle into the fire," Webby remarked, still struggling to free herself from Big Time's tight grip.

"You think that was the only bottle?" Magica motioned with her finger for another bottle from the table. The bottle flew right into her hand. She turned her creepy, evil smile toward Mr. McDuck. "It's your choice, Scrooge. Who's going to be the third frog?"

Max jumped to his feet. "Me!"

"What are ye…"

"No, this is all my fault," Max interrupted Mr. McDuck, his eyes not leaving Magica's insane ones. "Look, you said a boy is better than three frogs. I want you to turn my dad and Louie back, and I'll throw myself in there."

"Nobody is throwing anybody anywhere!" Mr. McDuck kicked Burger in the shins, setting himself free. He pulled Max behind his back protectively. "Magica, quit this nonsense. I'll get ye a dozen frogs, just let us go and turn Goofy and Louie back."

Her beak twisted in displeasure. "That's less dramatic, but okay." She took a bottle from the lab and dumped its dust on the two frogs Babyface was holding. In a puff of smoke, Dad and Louie ended up sitting on a grunting Babyface.

Heart beating fast with happiness, Max hurried toward his father, but Louie blocked his way and gave him the slap of his life.

Max touched his stinging cheek, looking at Louie's angry eyes in disbelief.

"Are you crazy?" Louie snapped, referring to Max's so-called sacrifice earlier.

Dad stood behind Louie, wearing the same glare. "My words exactly. Except without the K word. And the slap." His scowl melted into a smile. "I don't believe in hitting children."

Thick tears gathered in Max's eyes before he threw himself in his father's embrace. Dad's arms enveloped around him and pulled him against his chest.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!"

Max jerked himself out of the hug hearing Louie's sudden yell. His eyes widened when he saw Magica grabbing his arm roughly and pulling him toward her.

"Magica, that's not what we agreed on," Mr. McDuck objected.

"We agreed on a dozen frogs for turning those goons back. You don't think I'm stupid to let you all go without a hostage."

"Fine. Take me instead."

Magica tossed Louie at his brother with a wild laugh. "Much better."

Mr. McDuck touched Dad's arm. "Listen, Goofy, get her those stupid frogs and…" He was interrupted by the Beagle Boys jumping on him.

"Uncle Scrooge," Webby yelped.

They held him up and carried him toward one of the pillars, each Beagle Boy holding a limb.

"Don't worry, Uncle Scrooge, we'll bring them frogs in no time. We won't let ya down. C'mon, kids." Dad gently led them out of the room. Dragging his legs on the way out, Max looked sadly back at Mr. McDuck as Bouncer smacked him up against the pillar. The old duck looked back at him and smiled reassuringly.

Webby stopped abruptly, 'causing the line behind her to crash against each other. Dad tripped over all of them and fell flat on his face.

"Webby, what's gotten into you?" Huey snapped, rubbing his head where Louie's beak hit him.

"Wait, they said Launchpad and Mickey were turned into ants. Without Launchpad, how can we fly the plane?"

Magica let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine. This bottle will turn them back."

* * *

Outside the mountain, Max was instantly captivated by the gigantic, humungous, tremendous, ginormous – _did you swallow a thesaurus?_ - plane that was crashed against the rocks. As the others raced inside it on a Mickey and Launchpad hunt, Max took a couple of steps back just so he could see the top of the plane. _What the…?_ He tripped over a small rock and fell on his back, his wide eyes looking at nothing but the wacky stone face of Magica up the mountain. _Those ducks are really obsessed with giant things, aren't they?_

Two colored puffs of smoke bellowed out of the plane urging Max to rush inside after the others. Walking into a large storage area, he saw everybody surrounding Mickey and some stud in a pilot's clothes – Launchpad.

"That was a fast search."

Huey grinned at him. "They were smart enough to wait for us by the entrance."

"It was not easy, I must say." Mickey glared up at Launchpad.

The pilot shrugged his broad shoulders. "I couldn't resist those chips. I had to store them before winter."

Webby peaked at the crumbs behind a couple of large open boxes and her face scrunched up in disgust. "Launchpad, those are a few months old. From the last time we used this plane."

"I was an ant. Anything would do."

If it had been some other day, where no dime was stolen and no one was held hostage, Max would have considered it his lucky day. The day he met someone who was goofier than his old man. This Launchpad dude was definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed.

"Someone is missing," Mickey said as he looked them over. "Where's Uncle Scrooge?"

"Mr. McD? Did that raven turn him into an ant, too?" The idiot started searching around. "Look for an ant with a cane."

"No, Launchpad," Louie said with a chuckle. "Magica is holding him hostage until we get her a dozen frogs." He stopped chuckling at Huey's intense glare. "Which is not something to laugh about. Sorry."

Mickey sighed. "I'll contact Minnie for the second front."

Half an hour had passed since Mickey's call, everybody was helping Launchpad repair the damage caused to the plane. Max was kind of impressed, what Launchpad lacked in brains he made up for in fixing the unfixable. Seriously, this plane was a complete wreck, and now it was almost a plane again.

Each one of them was holding a tool to aid Launchpad in his work. With speed and skill, he grabbed at the offered tools when needed. Max crouched next to the master, watching him work his magic in fascination.

Without a warning, Huey threw the hammer he was holding on the floor. "I can't take it anymore. We aren't seriously considering bringing some frogs while Uncle Scrooge is stuck with those psychopaths."

"What else can we do?" Webby said, blinking when the screw in her hand disappeared.

"I wish Dewey was here. He always comes up with great plans." Louie dropped on the floor miserably, his words cut right through Max. He looked down at the wrench in his hand and wished he knew how to fix a plane or come up with a plan or just do something useful for a change.

_"You're nothing but a useless goofball!"_He looked at Huey who glared at his hammer, his clenched fists shaking by his sides.

"There's nothing we could do." Dad sat next to Louie and clasped his shoulder. "We have to go back to Duckburg and buy some of them frogs from a pet store or something."

Max put down the wrench and walked away from the others, feeling a knot in his throat. He stopped next to the open boxes and narrowed his eyes at the hideous yellow PJs peaking out of one of them. What was that detested thing doing inside the box? He peered into the box and recognized most of the stuff to be his and his father's.

A smile brightened his face as he pulled out _his_most prized possession. "Hey, this is my skateboard."

"Uncle Scrooge said, bring whatever you think is useful," his father explained.

"Dad, you're a genius!"

"Ah-yuck. Aw, shucks."

"Guys, with this baby I can steal the dime and get out of there, like lightening fast."

Huey crossed his arms over his chest. "How can you do that with the Beagle Boys there?"

Webby nodded. "And don't forget Uncle Scrooge is there, too. They might threaten to BBQ him or something."

Mickey scratched his chin. "All he needs is a distraction. A big distraction. Launchpad, can you crash into the mountain?"

"I can't crash into anything until _this_baby is fixed."

"Then get on with it."

"I'm trying. I'm trying."

Dad winked at his long time best friend. "Is this an idea-face you have on, Mick?"

"Biggest idea-face with a giant idea bulb as well."

Max grinned at him. "You caught the giant obsession fever, too?"

* * *

Max was clad in his helmet, elbow and knee pads, with his skateboard moving slightly underneath his foot. Breath caught in his throat, he looked on from a broken pillar into the lair, watching Magica throwing some dust into the fire. She stuffed her hand into her pocket and brought out the dime, placing it in the amulet. The Beagle Boys watched on from outside the circle, looking bored stiff. He shifted his gaze to Mr. McDuck who was tied to a pillar, shoulders slumped and head bowed, which was probably for the best. If he noticed them, he'd most likely attract the others' attention to them. Max glanced at his dad, the boys and Webby hiding behind the other pillars.

So, this was the plan: Dad was supposed to throw his lucky horseshoe directly at the amulet and knock it out of Magica's hand. Therefore, Max could skateboard toward it and snatch it from the floor. All while Dad and the others attempt to free Mr. McDuck and get him out. All they had to do now was wait for the signal.

The Beagle Boys started whispering and giggling among themselves while throwing swift glances at Mr. Scrooge. Max's hand clutched the pillar so hard he felt his knuckles going white. Those bastards, whatever plans they had for Mr. McDuck, he did not want to see. _C'mon, Launchpad, crash already!_

Big Time pushed Burger toward Mr. McDuck. "Hey, Burger, go check on our prisoner, why don't ya?"

"Oh, Scroogie!"

Max hid completely behind the pillar so he'd be out of sight. He glanced at Huey hiding behind the pillar next to him, his frustration reflected on the other boy's face.

"What are ye going to do with that?" Mr. Scrooge's voice was frantic, urging Max to sneak a quick glance. _Oh, no!_Burger was holding a bottle over Mr. McDuck's head and threatening to pour some magical dust.

On impulse, Max was about to skateboard toward them if it wasn't for Huey holding him in place.

"Let me go," he hissed in exasperation.

"Don't blow our cover. We gotta wait for the signal."

"We've waited long enough. Launchpad isn't coming."

_Crash!_

There went his future as a fortune teller, which didn't matter now, 'cause a Launchpad crash was as big as his plane. Rocks fell on them from all sides, so Dad pushed them all down and used his body as a shield. When the shaking and loud noise of falling rocks stopped, Max peaked over his father's shoulder at the mess the crash had caused. Clouds of smoke fogged his vision and stung his eyes, he couldn't see a thing. He just hoped that no one was buried under the ruins, especially Mr. McDuck.

Heart raging in his chest, he looked at the direction of Mr. Scrooge's pillar, but the first thing he saw as the fog cleared off was Magica. She was coughing next to the pentagram with her amulet in her hand.

"Dad, now!" Max screamed.

Jumping to his feet, Dad Pulled out the lucky horseshoe from his pack back and took his sweet time concentrating on the aim that all the kids lost patience. "Throw it already!"

Dad threw the horseshoe straight forward towards the amulet, but it didn't fly straight towards its goal. Instead, it curved up, flying toward Magica's chair. It hooked on its pointy top, ringed around it a couple of times before shooting off towards Huey, flying over his head.

Huey ducked and then glared at Max. "This is never gonna work."

Max smirked. "Trust me, it will."

The horseshoe landed on the top of the plane and rolled down, bouncing over the wing and into the turbine engine. It shot out straight towards the amulet and knocked it out of Magica's hand.

Front foot on the board, Max pushed off the skateboard with his back foot. He pushed and pushed, increasing his speed, and grabbed the amulet before Magica even considered bending down to pick it up.

"Catch him!" she barked.

The Beagle Boys were about to run after him, but Launchpad and Mickey pounced on Bouncer and Big Time and pinned them down on the floor. So, Burger and Babyface took over the task of running after him. Putting weight on his heels, Max went through the pillars one after the other. He let out a wild laugh when he heard Burger and Babyface smacking against the pillars.

Over the corner of his eye, he noticed Mickey and Launchpad engaging in a violent fight with Big Time and Bouncer. His dad, Huey and Webby were freeing Mr. Scrooge out of his bounds. _Where is Louie?_

"Let me go, you old witch!"

Max looked over his shoulder and saw Magica grabbing Louie by the shirt. _Bad move!_He smacked against a pillar when he wasn't paying attention to the way and fell to the ground.

Babyface and Burger took him by the shoulders and pulled him up to his feet. Burger tried to pry the amulet out of his grip, but Max held on to it tightly.

"Give me back the amulet!" Magica walked over to him, holding up Louie with one hand. "I knew I should have turned you into a frog when I had the chance."

Max struggled against the hands that held him, watching Magica approach him, her hand going for the amulet. Out of the blue, the lucky horseshoe smacked her on the head and knocked her down, freeing Louie in the process.

Max grinned at his father at a distance. "Leave my son alone!" Dad roared, and then straightened his back, held up a finger and smiled. "Please."

Mickey and Launchpad jumped on the Beagle Boys holding Max and stroke them with hard blows. Max was only able to enjoy his freedom for a mere couple of seconds before he was snatched by someone moving at a high speed. He was lifted up with one arm against the person's side, blinking down at his skateboard. Looking up, he was surprised to see that the person riding his skateboard was Mr. Scrooge.

He drew in a sharp breath. "You know how to skateboard?"

"You'll be surprised by the things I know. Just hold on tight to that amulet."

Bouncer blocked their way, but Mr. Scrooge slipped between his legs and stuck his cane up his butt. Max laughed hysterically, and hollered in excitement as Mr. Scrooge launched himself off of a leaning pillar. They flew out of the room, going down the rocky halls of the mountain.

On the way, Max noticed a few dead, giant creatures and remembered what Huey said about the traps. Out of the cave, he saw two helicopters waiting for them down the mountain. Minnie stuck her head out of the window and yelled frantically, "Hurry up, hurry up!"

Mr. Scrooge jumped down the mountain's rocks, doing a couple of skateboarding tricks that impressed Max, until he reached a flat ground and skateboarded right into Minnie's helicopter. They fell on the seats with Max's skateboard hitting the door on the opposite side and bouncing back out of the helicopter. Dad caught the skateboard and jumped in with Huey and Mickey behind him.

"What about the others?" Minnie yelled.

"They're with Daisy," Mickey answered through heavy pants.

Minnie didn't waste time and flew the helicopter up with the door still open. As they reached safety of the sky, she pressed on the button and closed the door.

Mickey jumped onto the front seat next to Minnie while the others took their places on the backseats.

Max handed the amulet to Mr. McDuck and let out a laugh, still feeling the rush of adrenaline. He watched him take out his dime, plant a wet, slippery kiss on it and smash the amulet with his foot.

Mr. Scrooge smiled at him in amusement as he kept on laughing. "That was the coolest ride ever, Mr. McDuck!"

Dad fastened his seatbelt and frowned down at him. "Mr. McDuck?"

"Uh…" Max glanced at Huey in hesitation.

Huey looked at him in confusion before realization hit him. He shook his head and chuckled. "Call him Uncle Scrooge like the rest of us, you loser."

Mr. Scrooge winked. "Well, seems he's got so many uncles, he doesn't need a cheapskate."

Max blushed, watching his dad fastening his seatbelt for him. "I do have uncles, but by far you're the coolest." He smiled sheepishly. "Uncle Scrooge."

_Uncle Scrooge _pulled him into an affectionate side hug.

* * *

Everybody was gathered at the dining room table as dinner was about to be served. The constant clinging of the silverware against the plates could be heard faintly through the happy chatter and laughter. From the door, Max watched over everybody with a huge smile: Uncle Scrooge yelling at Launchpad, Mickey and Minnie kissing, and Daisy and Mrs. Beakley scolding the boys for spilling the juice on Webby's Quacky Patch doll.

Max cleared his throat. Nobody heard him. He cleared his throat louder. Still, nobody heard him. "Silence!" he screamed on the top of his lungs.

He finally got their attention seeing that everybody looked at him in confusion.

"Max, where have you been?" Louie asked. "We haven't seen you all day."

Max looked at the nephews with a bright smile. "I have a big surprise for the Duck family."

He stepped aside and inside walked Donald Duck in his sailor suit followed by Dad. Gasps echoed in the room, but Max's gaze was strictly on the nephews who appeared the happiest to see their uncle back. As Huey and Louie threw themselves at Donald, Max helped a limping Dewey to walk across the room toward the happily reunited ducks.

The boys stepped aside when Daisy walked over toward her boyfriend with her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Donald took her in his arms and kissed her, the nephews surrounding them gleefully.

Uncle Scrooge stood next to Max and ruffled his hair. "How did ye do this?"

Max brushed his messy hair back. "It wasn't easy. That Admiral and his lieutenant were a couple of unreasonable as…"

Dad cleared his throat and regarded him with a stern stare.

Max flustered, his gaze dropping to Uncle Scrooge's cane. "Uh, canes?"

Dad nodded in satisfaction.

"Anyway, Dad and I couldn't convince them to give Mr. D a few days off, so we sent them our secret weapon." He extended a hand toward the door as Mrs. P walked inside with a grin of triumph. "Mrs. Peg Pete's mouth."

"I can get anyone to do whatever I want with this baby." She pointed at her glistening lips in pride.

"Ye don't say." Suddenly, Uncle Scrooge's pupils turned into dollar signs. He walked over toward Mrs. Pete and guided her gently toward the chair next to his own on the dining table – throwing Launchpad a glare to skedaddle. "Do ye mind if I put that mouth of yers into test?"

"Are you coming on to me?"

"Let me choose me words carefully; how about a week of vacation in me mansion?"

Mrs. P considered the offer and smirked. "Well, I know how much Pete loves watching over the kids by himself for a whole week."

Max turned his attention back to the nephews and their uncle, still embracing each other and catching up on the past few months.

A hand squeezed Max's shoulder gently and a kiss was planted on his head. He looked up at his father's smiling face. "I'm very proud of you."

Max hugged him tightly. "And you're the best dad anyone could ever have."

Dad took his hand and led him to the table. They sat down with the others, having a wonderful meal, joking around and laughing with delight. Everything turned out for the best, this Spring Break wasn't so bad after all.

**The End**


End file.
